Furnace construction for fusing refractory materials and the like



Sept. 2, 1947. E. VAN DER PYL FURNACE GONSTRUCTION FOR FUSING REFRACTORY MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 11', 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 L w w n n x m w W E 4'l// J J? m 4 r l ll IL! no. 22 ur Sept. 2, 1947. E. VAN DER PYL 2,426,544

FURNACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FUSING REFRACTORY MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 11, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 womb;

Edward Vin dcr- Pyl p 1947' E.,VAN DER PYL 2,426,644

FURNACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FUSING REFRACTORY MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 11, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Edward Van. der PgL p 2, 1947 E. VAN DER PYL 2,426,644

FURNACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FUSING REFRACTORY MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 11, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 A H? E E, "7/ P 7%; F1 (5. 9

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Edward Van der- P l Patented Sept. 2, 1947 FURNACE CONSTRUCTION FOR FUS ING RE FRACTORY MATERIALS AND THE LIKE Edward Van der Pyl, Holden, Mass, assignor to Norton Company, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application August 11, 1944, Serial No. 549,007

29 Claims. 1

This invention relates to spout construction and control therefor, for the withdrawal, froma furnace, of high-fusing-point molten materials of which fused alumina is a good illustration, having a melting point on the order of 2000 C.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, practical and reliable spout construction that will be well adapted to meet and cope with the peculiar conditions that have to be met in the handling of high-fusing-point materials, such as alumina. Another object is to provide a simple, practical, efficient and reliable control for a spout construction of the above-mentioned character. Another object is to provide a stronmdurable and simple mounting or assembly of a spout and its control relative to a furnace structure whereby also ease and speed of replacement of parts may be efllciently effected.

Another object is to provide. a spout construction capable of handling such hlgh-fusing-point materials in a manner to improve and lengthen the life and durability of the spout per se and in a manner to lessen or avoid detrimental effects. particularly during pouring, of the fused or molten material upon the steel or other metallic shell of the furnace in such cases where such a shell is employed.

Another object is to provides, simple, practical and eiilcient system and apparatus for protecting the spout structure against excessive rise in temperature during pouring of the molten material, and yet avoid detrimental reduction in temperature of the material being handled by the spout. Another object is to provide a water-cooling system or arrangement for preventing excessive temperature rise of the spout structure; An-

other obiect is to provide a water-cooled spout construction that will be efficient in action and safe in operation. Another object is to provide a spout construction capable of safe association with high temperature furnaces of the externally-water-cooled type.

Another object is to provide a spout and closure-plug construction for high temperature furnaces and to provide for the speedy, dependable and efllcient control or handling of the plug relative to the spout for effecting starting or stoppage of the pour through the spout. Another obfeet is to provide a construction of the just-mentioned character that will dependably and rellably function and coact with a tilting type of high temperature furnace.

Another object is to provide a spout construction of a suitable refractory material and capable of simple and effective inter-relationship with a refractory furnace lining of variable thickness. Another object is to provide for safety to the operators in controlling or handling the spout and plug construction and mechanism. Another object is to provide simple, practical and eflicient protective means for the operators, more speciflcally to shield them not only against risk, but also against the heat during pouring at such times as the plug and spout mechanism has to be manipulated. Another object is to carry out these last-mentioned safety objectives in a manner effectively also to cope with the problems presented where the furnace is of the tilting type. Other objects will be in part obvious or in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described and the scope of the application Of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this invention,

Figure 1 is a small-scale side elevation of a furnace showing the assemblage thereto of the spout and plug construction and control mechanism;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the furnace as seen along the line 2-4 of Figure 1 with the spout and plug per se and related mechanism omitted;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary central vertical sectional view as seen along the line 3-4 of Fig- -ure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale through the furnace as seen along the line 3-4 of Figure 2, but showing nace, being omitted or indicated in broken lines,

' showing a platform construction surrounding the furnace;

Figure 8 is a sectional view along the line l-l of Figure 7 showing a portion of the platform construction shifted to function as a protective shield d to permit tilting of the furnace, and

Figu e 9 is a fragmentary elevation as seen along the line 8I of Figures 7 and 8.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring first to Figure l, the furnace, generally indicated by the reference character l0, illustratively and preferabl is constructed to be tiltable in order to effect pouring of the molten ma- I terial and any suitable means may be employed to mount the furnace it) so that it may be so tilted. For example, its bottom I I, which is pref erably downwardly convex, such as a segment of a sphere, may be mounted upon two spaced arcuate rockers l2--l3, provided with downwardly projecting teeth i4, the rockers l 2-,i3 resting respectively upon suitable and similarly spaced guideways l5 and I6 respectively, the latter in turn being provided with suitable apertures (not shown) in their upper'faces for the reception of the teeth" l4 and'if desired the upper surfaces of the guideway members l5 and It may also be curved, being upwardly convex as shown. Accordingly, the furnace l may be tilted about a horizontal axis, the coaction of the teeth 14 in the rockers I2-i3 with the apertures in the guideway supports l-|B holding the furnace against transverse displacement.

The tilting of the furnace l0 thus in effecttakes place by rolling contact of the rockers l2-i3 with their guideway supports and any suitable means may be employed to control the tilting of the furnac II). By way of illustration, a link I! may be pivotally connected as at It to a suitable bracket secured to the furnace l0 and at its other end is connected to the pin I! of a crank driven by suitable gearing 2| from a suitable source of power such as an electric motor 22.

In the position shown in Figure 1, the furnace i0 is in normal or horizontal position. Rotation of the crank disk 20 in clockwise direction accordingly effectstilt of the furnace ill in counterclockwise direction, the extent of tilt, within any selected limits, being controllable in any suitable way as by controlling the extent to which the motor 22 rotates the crank disc 20; return tilt of the furnace III to normal position is eflected by appropriate rotation of the crank disk 20 to carry the crank pin I!) back and thus restore the furnace ill to its normal position.

To better illustrate certain features of the invention, let it be assumed that alumina (A1203) is to be fused and cast; in such case, the sides 24 of the furnace in are preferably frusto-conical, with a substantial slope as shown. The sides 24 and the bottom II are made of suitably heavy sheet steel, the upper periphery of the frustoconical side shell 24 has welded about it a reinforcing angle-sectioned member 25 (see also Figure 4) thus serving to strengthen and make rigid the upper substantially circular periphery of the side shell 24 and serving also as a means for supporting a water pipe 26 that encircles the upper part of the shell 24, being spaced somewhat outwardly from the shell and being supported from the rim member 25, at suitably spaced intervals, by any suitable means such as a hook-shaped pipe hanger or bolt 21 (Figure 4) whose vertical threaded shank extends through suitable apertures in the upper or horizontal flange of the angle-sectioned rim member 25 and being assembled thereto as against withdrawal, by a nut 28.

If desired and preferably, suitably shaped plate members 30 (Figure 4) may be fitted into the three-walled space formed by the fiaiiges of the rim member 25 and the shell 24, and welded in place and to these thre walls, being suitably 4 spaced and distributed throughout the substantially circular extent of the furnace rim 25; these plate members 30 materially reinforce the mounting of the rim member 25 to the furnace shell and materially increase the rigidity and strength of the shell, resisting forces or stresses that might tend, particularly due to temperature differentials. to warp or distort the shell out of its intended curve configuration. These plate members 30 preferably terminate so that their lower edges fall in a horizontal plane coincident with the lower edge of the vertical web or flange of the rim member 25 and preferably constitute also suitably distributed stop elements against which the pipe 26 may abut and by which it may thus be easily and quickly located in its desired position; moreover, it is against these plate elements 30 that the pipe 26 may be held by the hookshaped hanger bolts 21, forming with the latter in effect clamping elements for securely holding the pipe in its intended position.

The pipe 26 forms part of a water-cooling system, being connected to a suitable source of supply of cooling water (not shown), by any suitable flexible pipe connection (not shown) and throughout the extent of the pipe 28 and suitably and relatively closely spaced are discharge apertures 3| (Figure 4), formed as by drilling, and located and drilled so that water discharged therefrom emerges in small streams against the shell 24; in Figure 4 one of these apertures Si is clearly shown in cross-section and the resultant,

spray or stream is indicated at 32, being preferably directed somewhat upwardly as wellas inwardly against the shell 24.

The water thus discharged from the pipe 26 ultimately flows down in a substantially uniformly distributed or uniformly thick sheet, moving downwardly along the outer surface of shell 24, preventing the latter from getting too hot in that the downwardly moving sheet or streams of water remove heat from the shell at a rate calculated to limit the rise in temperature of the metal of the shell 24 beyond the desired upper limit; the webs or flanges of the rim member 25 forman upper apron-like baille or enclosure which reliably prevents any of the water sprayed by the pipe 24 from getting over the top edge of the shell 24 and thus safely permit the water-cooling action to take place and commence at the very upper end of the shell 24 itself.

Moreover, the downwardly and outwardly inclined external walls of the shell 24, achieved in the illustration by making the shell 24 substantially frusto-conical, have a slope such that, throughout the normal range of tilting of the furnace, for example, from the normal full line position shown in Figure 1 to the normal pouring tilt position indicated in broken lines in Figure 1,

the downwardly moving streams or sheet of water remain unbroken and continue to flow downardly along and hence in continued contacting relation with the external surface of the shell 24, particularly at the front or pouring side. in order to achieve certain coactions later described with the pouring spout itself.

The furnace Hi is lined internally with any suitable refractory, depending upon the material and hence temperature to be handled, and in Figure 1 the refractory lining is generally indicated by the reference character 34, comprising a bottom layer 35 of substantial thickness which at its outer peripheral portions merges into the upwardly extendin side wall lining 38. the latter being preferably of progressively diminishing thickness as i indicated in Figure below the uppermost peripher ofthe' metal shell 24'. Illustratively, the lining may comprise graphthe drawings.

1, terminating at or even no or any suitable refractory and where alumina is to be fused in the furnace lfljthe lining 34 pref erably comprises fused alumina. I

' Heating of the charge of material placed in the furnace lilis preferably accomplished by means of electrical'ene rgy applied to the charge by means of electrodes of graphite or carbon or the like, energized preferably from any suitable source of alternating'current energy and hence a 3-pha'se source'may be employed in which case three electrodes 31, 38 and 39 may be used; any

suitable means may be employed for suitably mountingthe electrodes and for controllin or varying their positions in an up and down direction, and henc only the electrodes are shown in They are suitably spaced from each other and where three are employed for energization from a 3-phase circuit they are positioned at the apexes of an equilateral triangle.

With the water-cooling system including the above-described water pipe 26, put into operation thereof is doubled because of the two-fold periphtight fit.

through and preferably coaxially therewith a discharge passage or bore 48 later described in greater detail and it extends inwardly beyond the inside surface of the shell 24 to an extent to electrodes, whence the resultant current flow and initial arcing-begins the fusing of immediately v adjacent portions of the charge which then be- ,comes conductive, whence the carbon rods may be fished out of the, furnace and removed, the

[conductivity of the fused and. fusing material maintaining current flow to effect continued heating of the charge and hence fusion of the material. 'InFigure 1, the broken line 40 indicates a possible normal level of charge and as indicated the electrodes project downwardly into the charge to a suitable extent;

In the front wall of the shell 24 of furnace I0 is positioned, at a suitable height, a pouring spout, illustratively at a height just about the same as the level 40 of a normal or intended-capacity charge of the furnace and ma preferred form it is constructed as'is about to be described, and reference may now be made preferably to Figures 4, 5 and 6. In the front wall 24 is cut a hole 4! into which isreceived andfixed a metal sleeve 42,

preferably of steel; externally the sleeve 42 is for conveniencepreferably cylindrical and it is posi- 'tioned in the hole 4| so that its axis is at right angles to the vertical axis of the furnace l0 and hence is horizontal when the furnace is in normal upright position. The front or outer edgeof the sleeve 42 is in a plane at right angles to the axis of the sleeve 42 while its inner end edge is in a general plane oblique to the axis of the sleeve 42 to an extent to achieve substantially the same extent of projection inwardly of the shell 24' of metal ,of the inner end of the sleeve 42 itself, these relationships being effected because of the normal slope of the front wall of the shell 24.

The sleeve 42 is welded to the shell 24 both externally as'at' 43 (Figure 4) and internally as at 44; it is to facilitate the internal welding at 44 that the sleeve 42 preferably projects inwardly somewhatbeyond the inner surface of shell 24. Thu the sleeve 42 is securely and virtually integrally mounted or attached to the shell 24 and,

moreover, security against leakage of water from the outside surface of shell 24 to the interior match the interior side wall lining 36 which as above described is of diminishing thickness as it approaches the upper end of the furnace 10. Due to the slope or inclination of the wall of shell 24, the inside face (Figure 4) of the lining 38 is, though of diminishing thickn'ess, substantially vertical at the height where the spout construction is mounted to the furnace shell 24 and hence the inner end face 5| of they spout element 48 is preferably in a plane'at'right angles to the axis of the spout element, a feature which facilitates manufacture of the spout element, and accordingly, when the latter is inserted'in and assembled to the sleeve 42 the inner end face 5| thereof falls-into substantial alignment with the inner face 50 of the lining 36 which is built up or constructed in any suitable way to leave an opening therein, preferably tapered-t0 match the taper of the outer surface 41 of the spout element 46, thus to accommodate the inner end portions of the spout element. I

This inward projection of the'spout element 46, that is, beyond the inner face of shell 24 and the mounting of the spout element 46 are made I furthermore to coact in a unique way with the lining where the latter is builtup or put in final condition as a lining; not manually,but by control of the fusion, by the action of the electrodes, of the'lining material itself, as may be done with material, 'such as'alumina', and as is more particularly described and claimed in the 'copending application Serial No. 534,653, filed May 8, 1944.

In such case the spout element 46 is inserted into the sleeve 42 to project inwardly beyond the inner face of shell 24, and secured in place as later described herein; there is built up man-' ually out of suitably sized chunk or blocks of alumina, 'with interstices filled with granular alumina, a side wall lining corresponding to that indicated at 35 in Figures 1 and 4, such a structure being built up around the inwardly projecting portion of the spout element 46 and substantially flush withthe inside face 5| thereof. When this manually built-up structure is thereafter fused in the manner described in the abovementioned application, it becomes one continuousv uninterrupted and unbroken line of fused alumina snugly molded and fitted about the tapered inwardly projecting portion of the spout element 46. During subsequent operation of the furnace,

Spout element 46 has extending therei mmm mm m m. a m n 3 m J mwmm m m mh mmmm u mm 1 m mumm mm mmu m M m m 3m fim fi hmmmm mm mm mmmmmw mm mmmmmmw mmmmmmwm W M a d m m, a w a a Mu m a m mm mm mm u a M m m i M n" a v; m e m sq? mm mm mmmmmmm mm mmmmm mm mwmmmam mm mmmmm mwfi ommmmmmmm Hm m m a W mxm m mmmm m w mmwww w mam W m N mmm m w m wm mm mmm mm mwm mmmmm W WMMWMWMMWM W WWW WW mmm mm mm wm m mwmm mmm w m m mmmmm mmm mmmm mm mam mmmmmmm m mmmwm mmmmmwmmmmmwm mwmmmmw m m a. m m m m d Wm n m m m mm fimm WM WW m m wwmwwmw mm m m mmm mm m mmm m mmmm m mmfim w a u w u a m n u m m... a "a m m 3 m .m mfimmmm mmmmmmmmmm mmmwmmmmwmwmmm m mwmmwwwmmmm Mm mmmwmm a Ei fi MEL m mm m x mm m mm mm M m m mmummm 5 m:

,mwmlmmnm mmfi mm M a m W Mm mmm min x M m tomatthis extension 68 connection to the plug structure may be effected to a mechanism for facilitating the control or handling of the plug 64 itself.

ably and conveniently this mechanism comprises a'lever generally indicated by the reference char- 'acter T and having the plug structure 64 suitably connected thereto at its lower end andbeing itself mounted for pivotal movement axis.

Conveniently'and preferably, the lever 10 is built up of steel pipingor tubing and may comprise two parallel and transversely spaced pipe elements II and I2 (Figures andfilheld in such relationby a cross-tube l3 welded to both adjacent its lower end and ibya. longer tube element 14 welded to both elements H and 12,but offset therefrom so as not to wholly intersect them, the

tube elements ll, '12 being partially milled or cut away as indicated at I5 .in Figure 4 to form seats for the cross-tube 14, the welding being effected at such seats. I

The cross-tube 14 thus not only takes part in the compound light yet strong construction of the lever but it is also made to function as a bearingforthe lever in that a steel tube 16 10 cated in Figure 5, the hole 86 in the plug shank 88 is materially larger than the shank 8.": of the bolt 85 thus to provide for sufficient play to achieve self-accommodation between the parts about a horizontal (Figures 4 and 5) passes therethrough and is suitably supported from the furnace structure to form a rigid and fixed axis about which the lever may pivot.

In the preferred construction, the just-mentioned axis is formed by the above-mentioned steeltube 76 which as better appears in Figures Band 6 is somewhat longer than the bearin tube 14 of the lever 10; tube "is received between. the vertical webs of angle-sectioned brackets I1 and 18, the vertical webs being provided withholes l9 and 80 through which and and avoidance of jamming or binding during pivotal movement of the lever 10 in such ranges thereof as are commensurate with the fixing of the position of the plug 64 in and by the tapered bore 48. The bolt 85, as by its nut 81, is readily removable so that the plug 64 may be quickly disassembled therefrom and replaced when and as necessary.

At its upper end the lever I0 carriesa weight 90 of, for example, cast iron and preferably dimensioned to be received between the upper otherwise free ends of the tubular elements I l- 12 to both of which the weight is welded thus becoming also a structural part of the lever to strengthen it.

As better appears from Figure 4, where the plug 64 is shown in spout-closing position, the brackets TI and 18 are of such length in relation to the normal projection of the plug shank 68 outwardly from the spout element 46 that the axis of pivoting of the lever 10 is positioned to the left as seen in Figure 4 of the vertical plane'of the pivotal connection between the lever and the plug, thus bringing the center of mass of the weight 90 also to the left and thereby causing the weight, through its resultant lever arm to exert a constant force upon the plug" 64' to hold the latter in spout-closing position. The parts are preferably so proportioned as to dimensions and weight that the action of the weight 9!! holds the plug 64 in closing position even though the fit 0f the plug portion 65 in the bore 48 of the spout element 46 is somewhat loose and even though there may be some hydraulic head of through the sleeve 16 passes a bolt BI preferably threaded at both ends to receive nuts 82 and 83 which uponbeing tightened up securely clamp the bearing tube or sleeve 16 between the vertical webs of-the brackets 11 and 18, forming a de- 4 pendable horizontal pivot for the lever 10 and moreover one which is easily disassembled should molten material exerted against the end face 66 of the plug portion safety of spout-closure and dependable maintenance of the plug in spout-closing position may thus be achieved, whether or not such action is aided by the frictional fit of the plug portion 65 in the bore.

The cross-tube element 13 may be used as a member onto which may be hooked the hook end 9| of a suitably handled bar or implement 92 (see it become necessary, for example, to replace the c 1 bearing sleeve",

Brackets I1 and 18 are secured to the furnace in any suitable way and preferably are shaped as shown in Figures 4, 5 and 6, to diverge from each other (Figure 6) so as to space the points at which they are secured to the furnace structure.

Preferably they are securedas by welding to the angle -sectioned rim member 25 and for that pur:

pose the vertical web of each is cut away as at 11 and 18, respectively (Figures 5 and 6) so that the horizontal webs 11 and 18? may overlie and rest upon the horizontal web of the rim element 25 to which they are secured preferably bywelding', the vertical ends of the vertical webs 11 and 18 abutting against the vertical web of the rim member 25 to-which they are also preferably secured as by welding.

The dual-tube construction of the lever 10 also facilitates connection thereto of the plug 64 whose shank extension" is received between the lower ends of the spaced tubes 1 ll2 (Figure 5) which are preferably flattened out as at H and 12 where'rsthey are also drilled to receive a bolt 85 which passes through a hole 86 that extends diametrically through the shank extension 68, thus forming an articulated or pivotal connection between the plug 64 and the lever 10. As indi- Figure 4) for manually withdrawing the plug 64 from the spout element, when it is desired to withdraw molten material from the furnace, the implement being inserted between the tube element 1|, I2 for that purpose and thus aiding in achieving a safe and secure engagement of the lever'by the implement 92, and it will be noted that the cross-tube 13 is located closely adjacent the connection of the plug 64 to the lever so that any pull exerted by the implement 92 to unplug the orifice is applied almost directly to the plug 64 andhence without loss of energy. Manipulation of the member 92 and hence of the plug is preferably effected in coaction with certain safety features later described. Once the plug 64 has been loosened from the bore of the spout element 46, the implement 92 need be actuated only a short distance to the left in Figure 4 to bring the center of mass of the weight 90 to the right of theaxis of the lever pivot 8l-'|6, whence the weight of the member 90 is sufllcient to continue the swing of the lever in clockwise direction to a position where the weight 90 strikes the rim 25 of the furnace shell 24 which thus acts as a stop; that places the lever 12 in an almost horizontal position, the weight 90 continuing to hold the lever in that relationship and hence with the plug 64 well removed from the region of the dis- 11 charge and of the spout element Cl and out of possible interference with the stream of molten material emerging from the spout; the weight, moreover, holds the lever and plug in such position during the tilt of the furnace into pouring position indicated in broken lines in Figure 1.

With a normal level of molten charge indicated at II in Figure 1. a suitable tilt of the furnace for pouring can be on the order of that is the tilt indicated in Figure 1. At the front of the furnace suitable means such as rails l3 and a car ll may be provided to support a, suitable receptacle or series of receptacles indicated generally by the reference character 05 (see also Figures '1 and 8). the latter being made. in the case of handling fused alumina. of cast iron and being arranged on the car or cars 0. in continuous succession with the adjacent peripheral lips of successive cars in substantial engagement with each other so that the car or train of cars It may be moved by any suitable means and step by step to successively receive the molten material without having to interrupt the discharge stream, indicated in Figure l at II, of molten material. Accordingly, a reverse tilt to normal position of the furnace Ill need not be effected until any desired number of receptacles II have been thus successively illled.

In one form or size of construction, the height of the upper edge of the furnace ll above the floor or rail level may be substantial and in order for the operators to gain access to the electrodes as for repair or replacement, or to be in position for inspecting the interior of the furnace during its operation, or for such other purposes as charging the furnace, there is provided about the furnace a platform or walk at a suitable andusually substantial level above the floor and above the station to which receptacles or molds II are successively brought to receive the molten material; it is preferably at a suitable level below the upper rim of the furnace ll. Preferably. this platform is made in suitable sections of, for example. steel plate. the sections being in number and shape appropriate to surround the furnace to the desired extent. In Figure 7, by way of illustration, where it is desired to surround the entire furnace with a platform, the platform may comprise six sections so shaped that when grouped around the furnace their external periphery forms a circle whereas Thus access to the upper peripheral regions of the furnace may be gained for such purposes as those noted above and when it is desired to effect unplugging of the spout or to effect tiltim of the furnace. the platform section F, mounted to pivot about a horizontal axis indicated at lI-XinFlgure'lasislaterdescribedisfllted into substantial vertical position as indicated in Figure 8. thus making way for the tilt of the furnace, and in the section F is a substantialsiaed opening normally covered by a closure plate P constructed and mounted so that the closure plate P automatically opens up upon tilt of the platform section Finto the above-mentioned substantially upright position. exposing the opening in a position substantially in line with the spout of the furnace.

Accordingly. an operator standing behind and to the left of the substantially vertically positioned platform plate 1" which now acts as a shield and which has also uncovered the theretofore underlying rails and properly positioned car or train of cars. inserts the implement it through the above-mentioned opening in the tilted platform plate to en age the plug lever II at the cross-piece ll thereof to unplug the spout element ll: this he may do, according to circumstances, before or after tilt of the furnace. to commence the pour. Having eifected withdrawal of the plug 8 from the spout 4., the operator can disengage the hooked'implement '1 from the plug lever. leaving the weight member OI to effect movement and subsequent holding of their internal periphery is shaped to be geometrically symmetrical with the cross-section of the furnace in normal upright position at the level of the platform but spaced from the shell 24 of the furnace preferably uniformly by an appropriate district. Sections A, B, C, D and E shape respectively, as shown in Figure 'l, are preferably built up in the form of tables, being provided with legs L suitably distributed and being fixed in grouped or assembled relation in any suitable way. as by bolting to the floor. These nve sections A. B, C. D and B it will be noted are insumcient to extend around the front side of the furnace and preferably leave a parallelsided gap across the front of the furnace l0 and into this gap is movably mounted, in a manner and for purposes later described. the sixth section indicated by the reference character I". It is underneath this platform, more particularly underneath sections A, F and E that the rails ll extend and along which rails the car or train of cars It carrying the receptacles I! is to be progressively moved or advanced during pour ing to bring them to the pouring station.

the plug in an out-of-the-way position from which, after ultimate completion of the pour. the operator again restores the plug to orifice-closmg position by manipulating the lever with the implement u again iniected through the opening in the-tilted platform plate or section 1".

During the tilted position of the furnace II and as the pour continues. the water-cooling above described is continued as above noted but spaced upwardly from the front wall of the furnace is a shield plate if (Figures 1, 2, 3 and a) which is mounted in spaced relation from the wallofthefurnace; asisbetter showninl'ir ures2.8and4.theplatellhasaholel8into which the sleeve 42 fits. plate I! being welded to the sleeve 42 as at 98. the weld also providing a sealed joint between the two. The plate l1 c1- tends parallel to the outside wall of the furnace from which it is held spaced by its lust-described connection to the metal sleeve or of the spout construction and by suitable brackets ill suitably distributed, ilmstratively fornin number (see Figures 2 and 3) and welded to the furnace and to the plate itself. These brackets thus firmly mount the plate 01 onto the furnace shell and the plate thus reinforces and strengthens the mounting of the sleeve I! to the shell I, giving it two axially spaced regions of support and thus making for greater strength and permanency of construction. It is to the plate II that the inner ends of the bolts II and I, which coact with the spout-holding cross-bar I (Figures 4 and 5) are rigidly secured (see also Figure 8). The plate Il may be given suitable eurvature to substantially match any curvatures of the furnace shell. thus to maintain substantial parallelism to the furnace wall and at its lower end (Figures 1 and 3) it may be curved inwardly underneath but spaced from the bottom shen H of the furnace: at its upper end it extends outwardly andupwardly as at l'lsoastoclearand be spaced away from the rim member fl and leave an upper open passageway for air circulation or movement and also for the escape of such water vapor as might result from evaporation from the water running down the external furnace wall.

Spaced downwardly from the water-cooling pipe 26 (Figures 4 and l) is another pipe I02 that encircles the shell 24, passing transversely through the space between the shield plate 61 and the furnace wall and, like pipe 26, being apertured as at I03 and connected in any suitable way to a source of water supply, to effect a continual spraying of water against the shell and thus to add to or supplement the downwardly moving sheet or streams of water that originate from the upper pipe 26. Pipe I02 is supportedin spaced relation from the shell 24 by suitably distributed clamping brackets or supports which preferably utilize a hook-shaped bolt like the bolts 21 related to the pipe 26 as above described. Thus. referring to Figure 1, these brackets, welded at suitable peripheral intervals to the outer side shell 24 may be constructed to provide a base portion I04 which rests against the shell and is welded to the latter, being of a thickness equal to the desired spacing of the pipe I02 from the shell 24 so that the pipe may rest against the lower portion of the base I04, and they may have an overhanging lateral extension I06 through a hole in which extends the vertical shank of the hookshaped bolt I06 so that when the nut I01 is tightened up the pipe I02 is clamped securely against the underface of the overhanging bracket portion I06.

Going back to Figure 4, the water flowing down the outside surface of the shell 24 strikes the sleeve I02 and spreads over the surface of the latter, running down on both sides thereof to rejoin the downwardly moving sheet of water on the shell 24 below the sleeve 42, but the shield plate 61, which may also act as a heat radiator to dissipate heat from the sleeve 42 and its related parts, restricts the flow of waterover the external part of the sleeve 42 against reaching in any way the outlet end of the spout element and hence also from reaching the molten material being poured when the furnace is tilted, the welded joint 66 being water-tight. During the tilt of the furnace, water continues to run down the front face of the shell 24 even though the front face is thereby given a substantially vertical position or a tilt somewhat beyond the vertical as indicated in broken lines in Figure l, but such tilt is effective to cause a greater amount of water than during the normal position of the furnace to bediverted over and around the external surface of the sleeve 42, thus adding to the cooling of the latter and preventing dama ing heat rise therein during the time period that molten material is running through the spout element 46 for it is during that period naturally that the entire spout element 46 becomes materially raised in temperature; as a result also of the pouring tilt, some of the water that runs off of the exterior surface of the sleeve 42 is spread onto and runs down the inside face of that portion of the shield plate 61 that is below the axis of the sleeve 42, and thus the radiator or cooling effect of the shield plate 91 is increased during the pouring period. Also, during this pouring tilt, should any water, at the front face of the furnace, drip or spill from the portions of the shell 24 above the spout sleeve 42, the upwardly extending portion of the shield plate 61 catches and receives it and again the radiator 14 effect of the shield plate is increased. Also, in any case, the shield plate will be seen (Figures 1, 2 and 3) to be of substantial lateral and vertical extent to guard against any spillage of cool- 5 ing water from the side walls of the shell 'onto the cast iron or other receptacles 66 into which the molten material is being poured or onto the stream 66 (see Figure l) of the material itself, it being here noted that the combination of water and such high-fusion-point material is a violently explosive one.

When it is desired to cut off the flow, the furnace is tilted back to normal, whence, with the aid of an implement like the member 62 of Figure 4 the lever is swung in counterclockwise direction to bring the effect of the weight 60 again to the left of its horizontal pivoting axis 6I-16, that effect continuing such rotary movement of the lever 10 and acting to inject the plug v64 back into the passageway or bore 46,;

, of the spout element 46, thus to close off the orifice 62. In this connection, it is to be noted that the tubular elements H and 12 are, at the lower flattened ends 1i and l2 (Figures 4 and 5 5) extended downwardly below the axis of the bolt 66, the diameter of the external flange portion 61 of the plug 64 being so much greater than the diameter of the shank 66 that these portions 1I'--12 extend transversely of the circular 3o flange 61 like, two parallel similar chords of a circle (see Figure 5) and their inner edge faces (right-hand faces as seen in Figure 4) form two laterally spaced stops with which the outer or left-hand face of the plug flange 61 engages to thereby limit the extent of clockwise rotary movement of the plug 64 relative to its pivot bolt'66 after withdrawing movement of the plug from the spout has commenced. These parts are so proportioned that, in coaction with the smaller- 40 diametered end face 66 of the plug in relation to the larger-diametered front end of the tapered bore 48 of the spout 46, the plug 64 cannot swing clockwise to a vertical position or partake ofpendulum-like swing in that range of counterclockwise movement of the lever 10 that carries 7 the plug 64 back toward the spout element 46, with the result that the plug 64 freely enters its forward smaller-diametered end into the lower portion of the'larger-diametered front end of the bore 46, whence the tapered relationship of the parts effects simply a camming of the plug into final seated position or at the worst requires .but a small counterclockwise tilting upwardly by an implement like the member 62 to effect entry of the plug into the spout passage.

These features greatly facilitate manipulation of the plug handling mechanism through the opening inthe upwardly tilted platform plate section F.

The platform section F, where it is tiltable as above briefly described, is pivotally mounted to swing about the axis XX (Figure fl) in any suitable Way, as for example by providing two spacedupright studs or columns H0 and III rigidly anchored or secured, for example, to the flooring and pivotally connecting the platform section F thereto; thus, as seen in Figure 8, the studs IIO--III are of the same height as the legs L of the table platform sections A, B, C, D and E and hence the tiltable section F can overlie them, being provided with two downwardly directed plate elements H2 and I I3, welded thereto and extending respectively alongside of the studs of columns H0 and III to which they are piv- 5 otally connected as by bolts H4 and I I6.

With that kind of hinged connection, when the platform section F is tilted in counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 8, and hence to the broken line position in Figures 8 and l, the weight of the plate is swung over to the left of the axis X-X with which the pivoting bolts Ill and H coincide and the portion of the platform F that extends below the pivot point abuts against the columns IIl-I II which thus act as a stop against which the upstanding or slightly tilted plate is held by its own weight which as above noted is to the left of the axis X-X. Bridged across and between the columns III-III and welded thereto and thusalso strengthening the structure is a plate I09 whose bottom edge coincides with the floor and whose upper edge is of sufficient height so that the lower edge of that portion of the tilted platform section F (Figure 8) that extends below the pivoting axis overlaps the plate III! (see Figure 9), thus completing a shield of adequate expanse and extending upwardly from the floor behind which the operator may stand to manipulate the plug mechanism and to be shielded against danger or risk during the pouring action and also against the heat. The columns IIIl-III and hence also the upright shield structure comprising the fixed plate I" and the overlapping tilted platform section F are posi tioned (see Figures '7, 8 and l) on that side of the tracks 82 that is remote from the furnace so that movement of the platform section F into upright position uncovers the receptacles 95 and also shields the operator against any spillage from the receptacles carried by the car or train of cars 84.

The opening III in the platform plate section F and that is covered by the cover plate P may conveniently be square in shape and is so located ,with respect to the axis X-X (Figure 7) that.

when the section F is tilted into upright position, the' opening I I1 is brought, as earlier above mentioned, substantially in line with the plug and spout construction.

Preferably the cover plate P is arranged to be automatically opened during or upon completion of the upward tilt of the platform section F and this is preferably achieved by hinges III which hingedly connect the cover plate P to the platform section F to swing about an axis parallel to the axis X-X and to swing relative to the platform section F in the same direction as the latter swings during movement into shielding or upright position. Accordingly, when the platform section F reaches its above-mentioned upright position as indicated in broken lines in Figure 8, the cover plate finds itself in unstable equilibrium relative to its axis of hinging and by its own weight swings counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 8, thus uncovering the opening I I1.

Preferably, the extent of this opening movement of the cover plate P is limited to an angle slightly less than 90 and for this purpose the hinges may be appropriately constructed with stops Or the plate P may be provided with arcuate stop arms II! and I20, one on each side thereof and suitably secured on the underside thereof as by welding and provided with laterally projecting stop elements I I9 and l2i| which take in under and engage the underside of the platform section F to either side of the opening I I1, thus functioning to stop the opening'movement of the plate P at the right point and also functioning as brackets to hold or support the plate P in its substantially horizontal position as shown in broken lines in Figure 8; with such a bracket- 16 stop arrangement, less strain is put upon the hinges than would be the case if the hinges alone were provided with stop elements. a

Upon completion of the pouring operation,

achieved preferably by tilting the furnace back to normal position, the platform section F may be returned to its horizontal position (see Figure 8) and this may be achieved by simply pushing as with the implement 92 upon the upwardly proiecting portion of the section F to start it moving in counterclockwise direction from its broken line position shown in Figure 8, for the axis X-X (Figures 7 and 8) is sufficiently to one side of the center of mass of the platform F to give the platform adequate over-balance to move and to be held in horizontal position, suitable stop elements, such as plates I22 and I23, secured to the upper face of the section F (see Figure 7) and projecting laterally from the side edges thereof so as to overlap and rest against the upper faces of platform sections A and E, respectively, bein provided to take part with the platform hinge or trunnion construction in lining up the horizontal position of the platform section F with its adlacent section.

During the return to horizontal position of the section F and Just about when it reaches its final position of rest, the hinged cover plate P again finds itself in unstable equilibrium relative to the axis of its hinges I I8, its weight now being to the other side of that axis and accordingly it swings into closing position and into alignment withthe plane of the section F, the opening I" being suitably rabbeted for that purpose, as for exam- Pie. by a strip or plate I26 secured as by weldin (see Figure 8) to the underside of the section F and projecting over the opening III gufnciently to form a stop for the closure plate P. According to circumstances, particularly where the material is alumina, the supply of electric energy to the electrodes is continued even during the pouring operation and the water-cooling system is likewise in such case continued in operation; the water runs down th frusto-conical shell 24 from the spray created by the pipe 2| (Figure 4) augmented by the supp y from the lower band of pip I02, in order to compensate for increased area of the shell, increased need of cooling in the lower portions, and also for loss by evaporation, and some of it drips off and some of it runs along the downwardly convex bottom against which additional water is sprayed by piping (not shown), and all of the water is caught in a pit I25 (Figure l) in which the rocker guide rails IS-Il are mounted, the pit I25 connecting with a deeper pit I28 at the rear of the furnace and from which the water is removed in any suitable way, the pitch of the flooring of pit I25 being such that water does not collect in it but quickly flows off into the main pit I26 which is at the rear of the furnace and thus remote from the front or pouring end thereof, The rocker guide rails I5I8 are laterally spaced as above noted and may bridge across the main pit I26 at the rear, as indicated in Figure 1. In this manner possible spillage of molten material, were it to take place, is segregated from the water-collecting pit I26, the catch pit I25 because of the rapid drain therefrom of water, always containing a minimum so that any spillage into it gives rise to minimum risk. The front end of the catch pit I25 is positioned inwardly from the point where the receptacles 95 are positioned as much as possible, the shield plate 81 acting when the furnace is in tilted position to dependably direct water spillage from the front 17 of the furnace into the front end of the catch pit Ill. and thus the floor on which the rails 93 are spout into the catch pit I25. For example, a drip deflector I28 (Figure 1) may be provided to bridge the gap between the receptacle 95 and the pouring spout and this may take the form of a steel plate laterally flanged-as at I30 and welded or otherwise secured to the shield plate 91 reinforced, if desired, by a bracket Ill. Its upper edge extends transversely immediately beneath the spout structure and it is of such a length and angularity as indicated in Figure 1, that when the furnace is in tilted position, its lower edge overlies the receptacle 8!, but falls short of the normal trajectory of the stream 98. Any spillage from the latter is thus caught by the drip deflec-. tor plate I28 and prevented from spilling into the catch pit I25.

However, it is possible to function safely without the drip deflector in due to certain other features of construction and action in which the features of construction of the spout element 48 (Figure 4) above described take part. As above mentioned, the spout element 46 is constructed to have its inner opening 62 function as an orifice in order thereby to substantially fix the rate of now of molten material and such an orifice arrangement and functioning are preferred to achieve the coacti'ons about to be described With the orifice determining the rate of flow therethrough of molten material, the stream 96 (Figure 1) is, other factors being appropriate, of substantially constant characteristic insofar as volume per time unit movement of molten material is concerned and hence has a substantially fixed trajectory characteristic. It is thus possible to avoid having to contend with change in trajectory characteristic caused by change in rate of flow.

Depending upon the charge in the furnace and hence upon the amount of molten material contained therein, the hydraulic head of the latter,

-. at the center of the orifice 62 (Figure 4) may vary or may be made to vary according to the extent to which the furnace is tilted, and the axis of tilt of the furnace is preferably displacedfrom the orifice in order to achieve change in position of the orifice and particularly of th discharge and of the spout passageway 48 relative to the "target which, as indicated in Figure 1, is to be considered as the midpoint of the plane of the upper open end of the receptacle 95. According to the invention, tilting of the furnace is made to effect such movement of the discharge end of the spout both horizontally and vertically toward the target so that the discharge stream 98 hits the target for all pouring positions of the furnace, or substantially so, and adequately so for practical purposes, bearing in mind some variations caused by change in hydraulic head at the orifice.

Accordingly, the faces Y and Z (Figure 1) of the coacting pairs of rockers and rocker guideways lI-ll and lit-i8 are given shapes so that, for any position within the operating tilting range of the furnace the horizontal distance of the discharge end of the spout from the target is always equal, or substantially so, to the vertical distance of the spout discharge end from the target.

For example, and referring to Figure 1, let it beassumed that the hydraulic head in the furnace is suillcient to eflect pour with the furnace in normal or tilted position; when the spout orifice 62 is unplugged,-the stream of pour, of substantiallyv fixed volume per time unit as determined by the orifice 62, emerges from the spout structure and in an almost arcuate curve strikes the target, without spillage. The vertical distance D is equal to the horizontal distance D,

particularly for molten alumina.

If the hydraulic head is insufficient for pouring without tilting the furnace, the spout structure may be unplugged, and the furnace tilted to commence pour; suchtilt lower the orifice relative to the substantially fixed level of the molten material so that orifice-controlled rate of pour may commence, but due to the coacting shapes of the faces Y and Z which arein rolling contact, the movement of the spout toward the left as viewed in Figure 1 that follows from the counterclockwise tilt of the furnace is accompanied by such change in vertical height of the discharge end of the spout structure that the above-mentioned equality of vertical and horizontal distances of the spout discharge end from the target is maintained and by way of illustration, assuming that the tilt is the illustrative 10 tilt indicated in broken lines in Figure 1, the vertical distance D is made to become less than the distance D by the same amount that the horizontal distance D is made less than the distance W by the leftward tilt of the furnace as viewed in Figure 1, and the trajectory is again such that the stream, for this illustration indicated at 86, again hits the target and enters the receptacle 85 without spillage.

Beyond this last-mentioned illustrative tilt or intermediate of that tilt and the normal vertical position of the furnace, the shapes of the rollingcontacting faces Y and Z of the furnace supports in a similar way maintain this relationship of equality of horizontal and vertical distances. These factors hold true for used alumina and it will be understood that they may vary for and vertical distances may be achieved, depending upon the trajectory characteristic of the material to be handledv The rolling-contacting faces Y and Z form a convenient inexpensive and dependable way in which to achieve the desired relationship. Where the bottom shelli l of the furnace is a segment of a sphere, the faces Y of the furnace rockers are preferably and conveniently given the shape of an arc of a, circle of appropriate radius commensurate with or slightly greater than the radius of the spherical segment of the bottom shell ii and the face Z of the supporting guideways l5--i 8 is, to the left of the normal vertical central axis of the furnace, shaped to so change the vertical position of the point or lineof rolling contact as it moves leftward during tilting of the furnace to achieve the desired change in the above-menspout discharge end from the target; in the illustrative case, particularly for alumina, that portion of the faces Z of the guideway rails |5i6 is curved substantially as indicated downwardly toward the left from the horizontal plane of the point of rolling contact when the furnace is in upright or normal position, instead (if being horizontal which would seem to be the simpler way of making the guideway rails i5i8. Accordingly, as the furnace tilts, it effects a greater downward displacement of the spout discharge end than would be the case if the faceg Z were plane and horizontal. The shapes of the faces Y and Z will thus be seen to be complementary for the shape given the one will eifect the shape required for the other to achieve the desired path of transition or of motion of translation of the spout discharge end to achieve the desired relationship of horizontal and vertical distances for any given trajectory characteristic, and either or both of these face x and Y may be considered as cam surfaces empirically shaped to suit the pour characteristics.

In the illustrative embodiment above-described, where it is found that the material being poured has an effective trajectory or curve such that the horizontal projection (such as the distance D) is equal to the vertical projection (such as the distance D), the rolling contacting faces Y and Z are such that the movement of translation of the discharge spout is downwardly and toward the left in Figure 1 along substantially a straight line that makes an angle of 45 with the horizontal, that line being thus the hypotenuse of a 45 right-angled triangle of which the horizontal and vertical legs are always equal. Accordingly, the vertical and horizontal distances above-'described are, for molten alumina. alway equal at whatever position the spout has within the effective range of tilt of the furnace. In similar-manner, the path of movement of the spout may be predetermined by correspondingly shaping the faces X and Y, or either of them, to maintain any desired ratio of rate of change of the vertical distance to rate of change of the horizontal distance or projection, according to whatever happens to be the trajectory characteristic of the particular molten material being handled.

Accordingly, the pour stream, due to the abovedescribed coacting structural and functional features is found to be dependably controlled and capable of being made always to bridge the gap across which the drip deflector may, if desired, be nevertheless employed as an additional safety factor, and thus hazards of operating the furnace can be greatly reduced.

By way of illustration, in the case of molten alumina, the orifice may be proportioned to give a controlled rate of flow on the order of about 500 pounds of molten alumina per minute, the abovementioned horizontal and,vertical distances between spout discharge end and target varying, according to the angle of tilt, to cause the stream always to strike at substantially the same point, without material shift of the latter. It hasbeen found that the control action of the orifice 2, though varying somewhat with the hydraulic head, nevertheless makes it possible to give the furnace, for pouring. the complete tilt desired, illustratively, on the order of and still maintain proper trajectory for filling or charging a suitable number of successively arranged receptacles ll progressed or moved step by step along the rails 0 (Figure 1) to the pouring station and without having to interrupt the pour for each receptacle. It is preferred not to completely withdraw all the molten charge of alumina in the furnace, but to leave a substantial quantity after each pour so that upon return tilt to normal of the furnace, additional unfused alumina may be added to the furnace to the already molten charge retained therein and thereby also maintain continuity of heat action by the electrodes and the electrical energy supplied to them. Also it is preferred to continue feed of unfused mate- 20 rial to the furnace during pour, as described the above-mentioned Ridgway application.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided in this invention a furnace construction in.

which the various objects hereinbefore set forth together with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of the mechanical features of the above invention and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it isvzto be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell having a pouring spout projecting laterally therefrom and having means mounting the shell for tilting movement to effect pour via said spout. the external walls of the shell flaring outwardly and downwardly and having means for supplying externally to them a cooling liquid, said spout having thereabout and spaced from the shell wall means forming a bailie to guard against spillage of cooling liquid from the shell wall upon tilt of the shell for pouring, said spout having a stopper with means pivotally supported by said shell and connected to the stopper and adapted to guide the stopper in a path into or out of closing relation to the spout, a platform extending at least partially about said shell and below the height of the spout, said platform having a section thereof that is in the path of tilting movement of the furnace shell provided with means movably supporting it for tilting into a substantially vertical position out of the path of furnace tilting and to space it in said vertical position sufficiently from the pouring spout to accommodate areceiving container between it and the tilted furnace and form a protective shield during pour, said section having therein a movable memb'enyhioh, when moved, provides space through which an operator standing on the platform side 0 said vertical platform section may by a tool or t e like operate upon said stopper-supporting means and control the relation of the stopper to the spout.

2. A furnace constructibn as claimed in claim 1 in which said movable member of said platform section is pivotally connected to said section to pivot about an axis so related to the center of mass of said member and to the horizontal and vertical positions of said platform section that restoration of the platform section to horizontal position causes the weight of said member to swing it into closing position and tilting of said platform section into upright position causes the for said spout rovided with meanspivotaily 'carried by the shell and connected to'saidspout to guide the latter in a path into or out of stopping relation to said spout, a platform on the spout side of the furnace shell and normally intersecting the trajectory of the pour stream and overlying said receiving molhs, and means movably supporting said platform for tilting itout of overlying relation to said receiving means and into a substantially upright position on that side of said 21 material receiving means remote from said shell and to thereby move it out of the path of the pour stream and also to form a protective shield against splash or spillage from, and against heat emanating from, the poured material, said platform having an aperture therein through which an operator on the protected side of the shield may insert a tool to operate uponsaidstoppersupporting means and control the relation of the stopper to the spout. l

4. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell having a pouring spout projecting laterally therefrom and having means mounting the shell for tilting movement to eiTect pour via said spout, means for receiving molten material discharged from said spout, a platform at the spout side of said furnace shell, and means supporting said platform for movement into or out of two positions, in one of which positions said platform is substantially horizontal and overlies said receiving means and in the other of which positions said platform is substantially upright ina plane on that side of said receivin meansthat is remote from the furnace shell to thereby expose said receiving means to the pourtrajectory from said spout and to be out of the way of tilting movement of the furnace and to form a protective shield during pour from said spout.

5. A furnace installation comprising a furnace having spout means through which molten material may be withdrawn therefrom, means for receiving molten material from said spout'means, a platform at the discharge side of the furnace and having a normally horizontal position overlying said receiving means, and means mounting said platform for movement into a substantially vertical position on that side of said receiving means that is remote from the furnace and thereby form a protective shield during pour from said spout means.

6. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell having a pouring spout projecting laterally therefrom and having means mounting the shell for tilting movement to effect pour via said spout, a stopper for said spout having means movably supported from the furnace 'shell to guide said stopper in a path into or out of stopping relation to said spout, said stopper-supporting means having a counter-weight and means inter-relating said counter-weight and said supporting means so that throughout the range of tilt of the furnace shell, the counter-weight acts to urge tical position spaced from the furnace to thereby serve as a shield during discharge of molten material.

8. A furnace installation comprising a furnace having spout means for withdrawing molten material therefrom, a platform having a section thereof that is at the discharge side of said furnace provided with means pivotally supporting said section for swinging movement about a horizontal axis to shift it from substantially horizontal position to substantially vertical position spaced from said furnace and form a shield.-

9. A furnace installation comprising a furnace having means for the withdrawal therefrom of molten material, a platform at the material-withdrawing side of the furnace, means pivotally supporting said platform to pivot about a substantially horizontal axis so related to the center of mass of the platform that the weight of the latter is on one side of said axis when the platform is in horizontal position and is on the other side of said axis when the platform is in substantially vertical position, and stop means to limit pivoting movement of the platform so that it is in either horizontal position or substantially vertical position and held therein by its weight.

. 10. A furnace installation comprising a furnace having a pouring spout in a side thereof, stopper means comprising a. stopper for said spout and means movably supporting said stopper for moveplatform is tilted, substantially in line with said spout, whereby a tool projected through said-port the stopper into stopping relation and acts, after the stopper has been removed from stopping relation, to urge the stopper away from said spout, a platform at the spout s ide of said furnace shell in a position normally overlying the regioHto which the pour stream from said spout dischargesmay insert a tool or the like to control movement of the stopper into or out of stopping relation to said spout.

'7. A furnace installation comprising a furnace having means for withdrawing molten material therefrom, a platform adjacent said furnace at the discharge side thereof, and means movably supporting said platformto shift it from substantially horizontal position to a substantially vermay be engaged with said stopper means to manipulate it for insertion into or withdrawal of the stopper, from said spout.

I ll. A furnace installation as claimed in claim 10 in which said port is provided'with a cover plate, and means for pivotally supporting said cover plate to swing about an axis positioned so that the plate is moved by its own weight into port-uncovering position when the platform ismoved to substantially upright position and is moved by its own weight into port-closing position when the platform is moved to substantially horizontal position.

12 A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell of metal having a metal sleeve extending through a wall thereof and in sealed connection therewith, said sleeve having an internal taperedjbore with the larger-diametered end at the outer endof-the sleeve, a sleeve-like spout member of refractory material having an exterior tapered surface removably receivable in the tapered bore of said sleeve, said furnace shell having an interior refractory lining and said refractory spout member extending beyond the internal surface ofsaid shell'for coaction with said lining.

13. A furnace construction comprising a fur nace ,shell of metal having a metal sleeve extend- ;ing through a wall thereof and in sealed connection therewith, said sleeve having an internal tapered bore with the larger-diametered end at the outer end of the sleeve, a sleeve-like spout member of refractory'material having an exterior tapered surface removably receivable in the taassets pered bore of said sleeve, said refractory spout member having means coasting with the external wall of said furnace shell and in engagement with the front portion of said spout member for holding the latter against movement out of said tapered bore.

14. A furnace construction comprising a furbore of said sleeve, and means adapted removably to clamp said refractory spout member in position. the clamping force being exerted in a direction to wedge said externally tapered spout member into said tapered bore.

15. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell of metal having a metal sleeve extending through a wall thereof and in sealed connection therewith, said sleeve having an internal tapered bore with the larger-diametered end at the outer end of the sleeve, a sleeve-like spout member of refractory material having an exterior tapered surface removably receivable in the tapered bore of said sleeve, said spout member being of a length to project forwardly of said sleeve and having at the external portion thereof a peripheral flange of substantial dimension overlying the front end of said sleeve. and means coacting with the forwardly exposed portion of said spout member for removably holding it against movement out of said tapered bore.

16. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell of metal having a metal sleeve extending through a side thereof and in sealed connection therewith, said sleeve having an internal tapered bore with the larger-diametered end at the outer end of the sleeve, a sleeve-like spout member of refractory material having an exterior tapered surface removably receivable in the tapered bore of said sleeve, said spout means having a tapered bore, a tapered stopper receivable into the latter, means connected with said stopper and movably supporting it for movement toward or away from said spout member, and means holding said spout member against outward dislodgment out of the tapered bore of said sleeve and thereby also resist the force of dislodgment of said stopper when said stopper-supporting means is actuated to move the stopper into position away from said spout member.

17. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell having a pouring spout extending through a wall thereof, said spout having a tapered bore with the wider end thereof at its outer end of the spout, a stopper tapered correspondingly to the bore of said spout and adapted to be seated in said spout bore to close said spout against the flow of material therethrough, and means for supporting said stopper including an arm having conneotitons with saidstopper and means for pivotally supporting said arm to pivot about an axis so that said stopper is moved thereby toward or away from said spout.

18. A furnace construction as claimed in claim 1'7 in which said arm is in the form of a lever with a counter-weight which is moved to one side of said axis as th lever is swung to move the stopper toward said spout and which is moved to the other side of said axis when said lever is swung to move the stopper away from said spout.

19. A furnace construction as claimed in claim 17 in which said connections between said arm and said stopper have flexibility of self-accommodation of the path of interfltting movement between the stopper and the tapered spout bore relative to the arcuate path of movement of the arm.

20.-Construction comp'rislng a furnace shell having a pouring spout extending through a wall thereof, said spout having a tapered bore with the wider end thereof at its outer end of the spout, a stopper tapered correspondingly to the bore of said spout and adapted to be seated in said spout bore to close said sp ut against the flow of ma terial therethrough, a lever having pivotal connectlon relative to said spout so one of its lever arms is movable toward or away from the spout, a pivotal connection between said lever arm and said stopper whereby said stopper, upon swing of said lever, is moved toward or away from said spout, at least one of said pivotal connections having suflicient play to permit self-accommodation between the path of interntting movement between said stopper and said tapered spout bore and the arcuate path or movement of said lever arm.

21. A furnace construction as claimed in claim 17 in which said connections comprise means whereby said stopper has articulated connection with said arm and means limiting articulated movement of said stopper relative to the arm so that the lesser-diametered end of the stopper. upon movement of the latter toward said spout, is in alignment with and enters the larger-diametered end of said tapered spout bore.

22. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell having a pouring spout extending through a wall thereof. said spout having a tapered bore with the wider end thereof at its outer end of the spout, astopper tapered correspondingly to the bore of said spout and adapted to be seated in said spout bore to close said spout against the flow of material therethrough, said stopper having a peripheral flange adjacent'its outer end and a shank of lesser diameter than said flange and projecting axially away therefrom, and means for supporting said stopper for movement toward or away from said spout and comp g an arm having bifurcations between whi said shank is received, said bifurcations having means forming a pivotal connection with said shank, means movably supporting said arm for movement to carry said bifurcations toward or away from said spout. said bifurcations and said flange coacting to limit relative pivoting between said stopper and said arm.

23. A furnace construction comprising a furnace having a pouring spout, a stopper for said spout, means movably supporting said stopper for movement in directions toward or away from stopping relation to said spout, and means responsive to directional movement of said means for urging the stopper in closing relation to said spout upon movement into closing relation and for urging and holding said stopper away from said spout upon movement thereof away from the spout.

24. A fumaoe construction comprising a fur- 'nace having a pouring spout, a stopper for said spout, means movably supporting said stopper for movement in directions toward or away from stopping relation to said spout, and reversibly acting means for holding the stopper in the positions into which it is moved either away from the spout or in stopping relation thereto.

25. A furnace construction comprising a furaaeacea nace shell having apouring spout in a side wall thereof and having means mounting it for tilting movement to effect pour of molten material through said spout, means at the spout side of said furnace for receiving molten material from the spout, a platform at the spout side of the furnace and normally overlying said receiving means and normally positioned in the path of tilting movement of the furnace, controllable means for tilting the furnace and operable to increase the tilt as pour from said spout continues to thereby increase the head of molten material within the furnace relative to the spout, said first-mentioned means being constructed and operating in response to continued tilt of the furnace to so shift the latter and the spout laterally that the point of incidence of the pour stream substantially always is in substantially the same position relative to said receiving means, and means mounting, said platform for movement beyond the range of continued tilting of the furnace and into a substantially vertical position oh that side of said receiving means that is remote from the furnace to thereby form substantially a shield during pour.

26. A furnace construction comprising a furnace shell of metal, a pipe for a coolin liquid positioned around the upper end of the metal shell and having discharge means to supply cool ing liquid to the external side surface of the iii . tion therewith, a sleeve-like spout member of reshell, said shell having extending about the pemembers, and means clamping said pipe against 7 the lower edges of said plate-like members with l the discharge means therein directed generally toward the furnace shell, said flange means and said pocket forming a guard to prevent access of liquid from said pipe to the top of the furnace.

2'11". A. furnace construction as claimed in claim.

till? fractory material in said metal sleeve and having means for holding it assembled thereto, a stopper adapted to close off said spout member, means connected with said stopper and movably supporting it for movement toward or away from said spout member, and reversibly acting means for holding the stopper in the positions in which it is moved either away from the spout, or in stopping relation thereto.

29. A furnace installation comprising a furnace shell having means for supplying cooling liquid to the external sides thereof, said furnace having means for withdrawing molten material therefrom to a receiving point substantially at one side of the shell, means for supporting said furnace shell and providing a pit for catching liquid running off the external surfaces of the shell, shield means, and means mounting said shield for controllable movement into either a substantially vertical position on that side of said receiving point remote from the furnace shell or a substantially horizontal position overlying said receiving point to form a. platform adjacent the furnace shell and at a level above said pit.

EDWARD VAN DER PYL.

GITEB I'he following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT$ 1,687,925 Briggs Oct. 16, 1928 

